Keep your kids safe from dangerous wall

The dangerous wall at the rear of NISA store in Dallas Drive, Kirkcaldy

Published:11:30Friday 25 January 2013

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council staff are asking for help from residents in the Dollar Crescent area of Kirkcaldy to help keep children and members of the public safe from a dangerous wall.

The wall behind the Nisa store in the street has gradually become more and more unstable since ground around the delivery area behind the shop was dug out to make it easier for lorries to make deliveries.

Council staff say the way the land was excavated, together with bad weather, has meant the remaining soil which the dilapidated brick wall sits on is washing away, leaving it in a precarious state.

For months now the council’s housing staff have put up portable fencing to block of a public footpath which leads from Dollar Crescent up the side of the Nisa store to St Fillans Road.

However, disgruntled residents who use the path as a shortcut have been moving it aside or in some cases even kicking it over and damaging it to get through.

Russell Gray, lead officer for maintenance and improvements with Fife Council, said: “The wall is situated on a piece of private land and we are in discussions with the owner.

‘‘That said, the safety of the public comes first and we have taken interim action to erect fencing to protect the public, visiting over a period of time to keep it maintained.

‘‘This will continue and I reassure that Fife Council will continue to liaise with the owner until this matter is resolved.”

Neil Crooks, councillor for the area, added: “The wall has been closed off for public safety after I voiced concerns over a year ago.

“Our engineers haven’t been able to assure us that the wall won’t collapse after the banking was cut back, so we have had to close it off even though we realise it is inconvenient. We would ask the public to be patient while this is sorted out.”

Raza Rahman, who has owned the Nisa store for almost a year, told the Press: “The wall was in a bad state when we took on the store.

“I am going to put up a fence and take down the wall as soon as we get some better weather and hopefully this will solve the problem.”